Hurricane-permitting, the U.S. Open is scheduled to kick off its first-round matches on Monday here in New York. An estimated 700,000 spectators will show up over the course of twenty days of play — which organizers say makes the Open the world's largest sporting event, and which anyone would say is a lot of mouths to feed.

The concessions at Billy Jean King Tennis Center, per usual, cover pretty much every cuisine and food group imaginable. You can get Szechuan chicken stir fry, a savory or sweet crepe, samosas, sushi, a Belgian waffle, a slice of pizza, a quesadilla... the list goes on, and is spread out across five restaurants and 60 stands located throughout the tennis-center grounds. Levy Restaurants, which runs the food show at the Open, has a culinary staff 250-strong to get the job done.

Organizers estimate that by the time the last point is played on September 11, fans will have eaten 225,000 hamburgers and hot dogs; 15,000 pounds of beef tenderloin and steak; 85,000 pounds of poultry; 7.5 tons of crab, shrimp, and lobster; 400,000 individual berries; 12.5 tons of lettuce; 66,000 bananas; 35,000 pounds of tomatoes; and let's not even get started on the booze. Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed the inclusion of beef tenderloin (aka filet mignon), steaks, crab, shrimp, lobster, and berries hiding in that list of concessions carnage. This is not your average ballpark food — this is fancy tennis food, for fancy tennis fans.

For those lucky enough to score tickets, or at least salivating from afar, here are a few tips for targeting your best food and drink options a this year's Open:

• For the low-maintenance spectator, Carnegie Deli has a concessions stand where you can get a half-pound pastrami or corned-beef sandwich.

• Burgers here are a good strategy. All of the hamburgers in Food Village (the main hub of concessions) are made with a half pound of LaFrieda short-rib burger blend created specially for the Open, and served on a freshly-baked brioche-style bun.

• There's a Fulton's Seafood Stand in Food Village that serves a great lobster toll — Maine lobster, celery, and dressing, on a split-top bun seared in butter.

• Chef Tony Mantuano of Spiagga and Top Chef Masters is doing a pop-up wine bar — called, amusingly, Wine Bar Food — serving Mediterranean small plates, with two locations on the South Plaza and Club Level of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

• This year the Open has a new sponsorshop by Moet & Chandon, which not only means that there will there be Moet available in all the bars and restaurants throughout the tennis center, but there's also a whole new Champagne Bar.

• For all the really big "ballers" out there, the ACES restaurant is the place to be. Chef Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef and Morimoto fame is preparing all the restaurant's sushi and sashimi.

Oh, and also: Don't feel too bad for the players. Morimoto's got fresh sushi for them in the Player's Lounge, and there will also be made-to-order pasta, salads, and smoothies galore. There's even expanded gluten-free options, so Djokovic can breathe a sigh of relief.